Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2)

                Hello happy readers!  I’m beyond ready for this weekend.  I attended The Last Star (The 5^th Wave #3) launch party at Little Shop of Stories on Tuesday with the author Rick Yancey and I have a signed copy and some other swag in a giveaway here.  I was super excited to be caught up and I’m ready to dive into that book myself but I have some others in the que first.  One I finished via audiobook on the round trip drive to the event, which I’ll be discussing today and that is Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor, the sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone which I reviewed here.  You know the drill as with any sequel there will be spoilers for the first book in the series.

Rating:  5 Stars

                Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.  This is not that world.

                That is pretty much an accurate summary.  When we left off Karou had just regained her memories of her past time and realized that the man, or angel really, she loved Akiva had done some unspeakable things having thought he had lost her forever.  Karou is determined to go to her once home of Eretz to find out what is left of her people, the chimaera.  Finding her people all but whipped out and feeling a burning hatred for the angels she volunteers her services, taking her mentor and father-figures place as the resurrectionist to build more monster like chimaera to fight the angels and take back what was taken, even if it means working with the one who killed her in her first life.  Akiva is in a horrid place himself having realized the mistake he had made and knowing he had once again lost the love of his life, but this time because of his own actions.  Still all he can do at this point is to try and make amends for her and himself as he once more swears off killing the chimaera and instead vows to help as many as he can even as he puts himself at risk of discovery.

                All the things I loved in the first book, the beautiful writing and the world and all the interesting and fantastical creatures are back and even better.  We spend a good portion of the time surrounded by chimaera and large chunks in Eretz.  I just adored the world that was built and how intricate everything was but yet simple enough to understand.  The first book had a lot to do with wishes which I loved the idea of, who doesn’t, but this one left those out as we have moved past it.  Still magic has a price.  This is something else I enjoy.  I love all types of magic in stories but for some reason the magic that comes with a price, something for something rather than someone having unlimited power always seems more substantial.  You can see the price the magic takes on Karou, the pain tithe.  First let me just say I’d never do magic I have ZERO tolerance for pain, seriously my vehicle accident at the start of the year broke my pinky finger and I thought it would hurt less to chop it off than to keep bumping it or moving it.  I’m a big baby there I know. 

                 Karou is still a strong character for me if not a bit pigheaded at times.  She goes through each and every resurrection and no matter how hurt she is she keeps going.  Karou is fighting her fight in rage and heartbroken but she also has a strong sense of helping her people.  She is working with a monster, because it is the best hope for her people.  I really enjoyed from both the chimaera camp and the angel side.  While I already loved Akiva and the little bit I saw of Hazael and Liraz I loved Hazael he was so funny and charming and easy going I think anyone could love him but Liraz was kind of on my dislike list.  However seeing more in depth their life and what they go through as Joram’s bastards the misbegotten and things with Jael she kind of grew on me.  I also grew to enjoy Kirin and how he was the last of Karou’s kind to his crush on her as a young boy, awe.  Him and Issa are some of my favorite of the chimaera.  Two who did not grow on me were Thiago and Ten.  I didn’t like Thiago from book one the white wolf and his pomp, entitlement, and rage and Ten is him in female form basically his lapdog.  Though to even out the field it was great to see Zuzana and Mik again!  I just adored them in the first book Zuzana may be one of my favorite characters with her small stature but fierce none the less.  Also in the audiobook version the accents done for the different characters Zuz’s was my favorite.  The sweetness between Zuzana and Mik in the middle of the epic war going on played nicely to balance it out. 

                 Days of Blood and Starlight is still a very character driven story but there is lots of action happening.  There is a war after all.  The brutality of war is there as well.  There were certain times while listening that I was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that I thought I might break it hoping something wouldn’t or would happen.  It was intense.  I also was glad to be in my vehicle where I could yell at the characters and not have anyone hear my craziness because oh I was in a full range of emotions for sure!  I’m excited to dive into book three but now having read one and listened to one I’m stuck on which format I enjoyed better.  I’d love to hear your thoughts and feels below in the comments. 

                Until next time…